Neil Grimmer, co-founder and CEO, Plum Organics

Neil Grimmer doesn’t have to look too far to ﬁnd inspiration for his work at Plum Organics. His passion for his two young daughters has evolved to become the foundation of a business created to bring healthier food to children. The business has revolutionized how babies eat through the introduction of a pouch that is free of any harmful chemicals and full of nutritious, healthy, organic food that parents can feel good about giving to their children. Plum Organics has introduced more than 65 products, some of which have moved from concept to the shelf in as little as three months.

The key to Grimmer’s success is not just that the products are full of nutrition. If they didn’t taste good, it wouldn’t matter how healthy they were. Fortunately, babies, toddlers and young children seem to really like them, and the business has taken off. It wasn’t always easy, however. Both Grimmer, the CEO, and his business partner and co-founder, Sheryl O’Loughlin, left high-paying executive jobs with wellbalanced lifestyles to start a company that had no guarantee of success.

But their motivation was high as both of them were parents who wanted to help their children lead healthy lives. The company culture is reﬂective of their passion. Grimmer wants employees to feel just as passionate about their work as he does.

He gives his employees the power to accomplish goals through innovation and inspiration. When he wanted to bring in a highly sought after individual to serve as chief marketing ofﬁcer, Grimmer, a self-described punk rocker, engaged his management team in a rock video to encourage him to join Plum Organics. As the company continues growing, Grimmer wants the passion of his employees to do the same.

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